a quick adventure down to the beach

we are in the process of settling into condo life by the bay. i can smell the ocean air ok, so maybe it's really the bay, but smelling the bay air sounds gross! from the back deck. it makes me happy. sure the deck overlooks some trees & a bustling drive, but knowing that's all that separates us from the bay makes it more tolerable. we've walked down to the beach twice in the last couple of evenings.

first night was a total bust! ugh!
we walked the 5 minutes down to the water, most of which was spent waiting at the crosswalk for traffic to stop unloaded {matty} & {sam} out of the stroller, squished the sand between our toes and let the cool breeze & the warm setting sun touch our faces...

then i hear this..."i gotta go poopoo! i gotta go poopoo!"
accompanied by the dance, you know what i'm talking about.

i turned suspecting it was my potty trainee {gabe}. wrong. my little shouting dancer was {ben}.

and just as quickly as we got there, we were gone.

thankfully we are within walking distance and a 4 year old is much better at bodily control than a 2 year old potty trainee. it's just the joys of parenthood right?! and yes, we all made it back in time. although i've thought that next time i'm just digging him a hole under the pier. ha!

i wasn't going to let the beach get the best of us.

we kid that our family motto is "ruckels never give up!"

but it seems it's more true story than just an idea. just walking the talk people.

we went again the next night and our success rate was 100%. we stayed about 30 minutes. it was complete bliss as compared to the previous night. we even took a dip in the pool before returning home.

i got a couple of great shots of the boys. now, i'm wishing i had brought my nice camera because the lighting was perfect.

not sure if we'll tempt fate with a third try. i'm content with the second.

the beach is one of God's most beautiful playgrounds

nothing like the feeling of
digging your toes in the wet sand

{sam} was loving it!
couldn't have asked for a better shot

{matty} wasn't so thrilled

love the little-to-no-waves on the bay.
helps keep mommas sane.